Knowledge Management and Information
Systems Assessment December 2016
The assessment questions are in Section A and are split into two elements: the first is awritten assignment and the second is a PowerPoint presentation (to be embedded). The first element has two parts:
o Part 1: You must answer the question in Part 1. The Case Study for Part 1 can be found after the main questions in Section B
o In Part 2: You can choose either Option 1 OR Option 2
You will find a guide on briefing documents in Section C
Section D contains an overall marking guide.
First coursework element 1: Written assignment submission (Total marks = 100; Weightage = 80%)
Question PART I
You must complete following question:
1.You are part of a team on a strategy work force that has been assigned to explore the strategic position of Freakomon, based on the case study at the end of the question section (see section B). You have been asked to evaluate the competitive environment and to suggest ways to improve Freakomon’s strategic position. Your report should provide the following:
a.A short executive summary of your report (5 marks). Roughly 300 words.
b.A visual map or a diagram of the relevant stakeholders and the relationships between them. Connect stakeholders to signify relevant relationships and annotate your diagram with brief comments (5 marks), roughly 100 words.
c.An evaluation of Freakomon’s competitive position given the information from the case study and any additional supporting evidence acquired through research using journal articles. You will need to take into account the unique context in which Freakomon operates and include a diagram using Porter’s 5 forces model that illustrates your answer. (30 marks). Roughly 1100 words.
d.One specific recommendation for a change in the information systems (IS) or information technology (IT) that could support Freakomon’s competitiveness in the market. Provide a justification for your recommendation supported by reference material from appropriate journals. (15 Marks). Roughly 600 words.
Total 55 Marks
Question PART 2
You can choose ONE of the following options either Option1 or Option 2:
Option 1
1.Cloud based technology is being used more extensively by business from SMEs to larger organisations. You are part of a project team that has been asked to research whether a cloud based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system could improve business performance for your organisation. Research a range of companies that have introduced cloud based CRM using articles and case studies from academic sources such as Athens and Google Scholar. From your research you have been asked to contribute to a briefing document that provides some insight into the implications of moving to a cloud based system for your organisation. Your document is for the project leader and your contribution should provide:
a.A short introduction outlining what is in the document (5 marks), roughly 200 words
b.Explanation of what you consider to be three of the key challenges for successfully introducing a cloud based CRM system into your organisation. You should provide supporting examples from your research to strengthen your discussion. Assume 5 marks for each challenge. (15 marks). roughly 600 words
c.Suggest how managers within the organisation could respond to each of the three points raised in part 1b to reduce the impact of each of the challenges that you have raised. You should provide supporting examples from your research to strengthen your discussion and state any assumptions you have made. Assume 5 marks for each response to the challenge. (15 marks) roughly 600 words
Total 35 Marks
Option 2
1.You are part of a project team that has been asked to research the how knowledge management practices could be improved and supported using technology within your organisation. Research a range of companies that have introduced technologies for improved communications and knowledge sharing using articles and case studies from academic sources such as Athens and Google Scholar. From your research you have been asked to contribute to a briefing document that provides some insight into the implications of introducing such a system into your organisation. Your document is for the project leader and your contribution should provide:
BPP University Business School: December 2016
a.A short introduction outlining what is in the document (5 marks), roughly 200 words
b.Provide an explanation of what you consider to be three key barriers, from an employee’s perspective, to use knowledge management systems to improve communications and share knowledge. You should provide supporting examples from your research to strengthen your discussion. Assume 5 marks for each challenge (15 marks), roughly 600 words
c.Suggest how managers within the organisation could respond to each of the three points raised in part 2b to reduce the impact of each of the barriers that you have raised. You should provide supporting examples from your research to strengthen your discussion and state any assumptions you have made. Assume 5 marks for each response to the challenge (15 marks), roughly 600 words
